Yep another sump question

[Fastlight]

I searched through the sump search results and im probably am overlooking the obvious but i have a few basic thoughts i need answered. My 75 reef is gonna have a 30gal sump. Now from my understanding a sump doesnt need a light, but maybe im getting confused. I would like my overflow to drain into the first section containing my protien skimmer(pro clear aquatics? any good)
the second section would contain the live sand and more live rock(this is where im not sure if i need a light or not does this then become a refugium adding sand and rock?) This second section is where all the good bacteria is gonna stay right? Finaly it will go through the micro bubble trap(no idea what those are but i assume you dont want them) Then into the final section with the return pump. The return pump is rated at some 2900lpg which i belive converts to aroun 700gph. So with the sump i have an old coralife 4x65 cp fixture should i ebay that and get some extra cash or save it for under the tank stand with the sump? I was told that a sump does not need a light but then how could u put live rock and sand in it with no light?

Another thing turn over rate? How much for a reef? and would 2 koraila2(600gph) pumps be fine along with the overflow and return? What about needin a wavemaker? are they necesary?

Is there any reason to have an air pump.. i always had them with my freshwater but i have never read anything believeing i would need them in a saltwater. I would assume the rippling by the koralia would give you the oxgen you would need.

Btw i should be ordering my 48" nova pros either this week or next!!!
is this a good online site? the light is so much cheaper there than anywhere else i have found. anyone know of a cheaper better place?
http://www.petmountain.com/product/l...actinics-.html#
hope you all can help and sorry if you all are repeating urselfs with the answering of the questions

[d.french]

i have a clip on light with powercompact bulbs from walmart the ones in blue pack that are 6500k. My sump has 3 section 1st for skimmer and water coming from tank and the second has live rock rubble and chaeto plus light and third is return pump.







here is sump i added to an existing setup before i filled it up, this is my 125 gallon tank with 30 gallon long sump.

[d.french]

my nova extreme pro comes in tomorrow for my 125 gallon but i ordered mine from marine depot, not sure about that website.

[Bifferwine]

If your refugium has only sand and rock, then no, you don't need a light.

If you choose to put macroalgae in your refugium (and why wouldn't you?), then yes, you need a light.

[d.french]

if you don't want to fight hair algae and cyano than you want a light and some chaeto for nutrient export so chaeto will use up phosphates so algae will not grow in display tank. Some people put live rock in were skimmers at but i keep skimmer in there only cause thats were all my sponges are growing which is another good all natural filter.

[Hornet]

Fastlight a lot of people seem to be doing their sumps with the sections in the following order : Skimmer -> Return <- Refuge. The arrows show the direction of flow.

Growing cheato in the fuge is also popular because it helps remove nitrites from the system. The cheato is where the need for a light comes in for the sump.

You can probably ebay that fixture you currently have and pick up some extra cash. There is no need to get all fancy with a light for the sump you can pick up a socket and a bulb and mount it under the stand as dfrench shows in his pics.

If you want to do some surfing, Melvs website has some great info on sumps and other DIY stuff. Just check out his site map. I've spent a lot of time surfing his site.

Also you may want to check the seller named currentusa on ebay if you want to save a few bucks and get a refurbished fixture. Current USA seller on Ebay

[Piggy]

I have my sump set up with the protein skimmer first. Then the bubble trap, refugium then the return pump. I do have a light over the refugium because I have algae in it also. Work fine for me.

[joeman]

I will probably repeat some of the stuff you have been told, but here's my :

Originally Posted by Fastlight

I searched through the sump search results and im probably am overlooking the obvious but i have a few basic thoughts i need answered. My 75 reef is gonna have a 30gal sump. Now from my understanding a sump doesnt need a light, but maybe im getting confused. I would like my overflow to drain into the first section containing my protien skimmer(pro clear aquatics? any good)
the second section would contain the live sand and more live rock(this is where im not sure if i need a light or not does this then become a refugium adding sand and rock?)

In my opinion you have these in the right order = skimmer before refugium.
Regarding your questions about lighting:
1) Rocks and sand hold the full range of bacteria needed to convert the ammonia produced during the decay of organic matter into Nitrates that are less harmfull to fish/inverts (see any articles on "The Nitrogen Cycle")
2) A Refugium is a 'refuge' (= a safe place) for small creatures to grow and reproduce without getting eaten
3) An 'algae scrubber' is a place where algae is grown to lock in unwanted nutirents from the water, then harvested to remove it from the system (otherwise they can realease them all back in again...)

so, for pure biological filtration (1) you need just rocks and sand: no light is necessary. having these rocks and sand in a location seperate from the main tank means that it will become somewhat of a refugium by default, as various little critters make it their home.. light is therefore not needed here either. If you want to combine all three, you can grow macro algae there too = rocks and sand for bio filtration, rocks, sand and algae for little critters to live in & algae to harvest for nutirent export... wherever you see alge included you need a light for it to grow...

Sorry if this seems a bit long-winded..

Originally Posted by Fastlight

This second section is where all the good bacteria is gonna stay right? Finaly it will go through the micro bubble trap(no idea what those are but i assume you dont want them)

Skimmers are built to create bubbles - of many sizes, but included are 'micro' where the forces pushing it to the surface of the water due to the difference in the desity between air and water are not as great as the frictional forces exerted by the water flow (because they are small) - in this situation they do not have time to escape and are carried with the flow into the tank. Most people just don't like the look of this, whilst others suggest that some corals ingest these bubbles and that this is harmfull. bubble traps are designed to let the bubbles escape back to the atmosphere to that clear water is passed back to the tank.

[Fastlight]

you all have been much help. i think i will ebay off the old coralife cp fixture and rig up something under the stand(being an electrician i can get my hand on alot of stuff in fact i have an under cabinet flourecent i could put under there.) That undercabinet light should be enough for the cheato right?

1 more thing though no one has anwered my turn over rate for my tank. Would the return pump and 2 koraila2 pumps be an overkill? i figured thats 1950gph/75=26. and what about the wavemaker?

2nd is the pro clear aquatics protein skimmer(used gonna be good enough) or should i just shell out the cash for a different one?

3rd no need for an air pump right?

4th what compartment should i put the heater in? skimmer/fuge/or return?

5th im sure ill have more ?s

[yote]

#1-I actually like a slower flow through my sump/fuge.I'm only running a mag-5 on my 75.But I got a butt load of flow in the display.That being said,As long as the sands staying the bottom,you do not have to much flow.
#2-Pro-Clear aint really bad skimmers,but there ARE better skimmers out there.The LFS I help at has a couple of Pro-clear skimmers running on the in wall display tanks.So,just use what you got untill your ready to go better.
#3-The air pumps not needed at all.
#4-MInes in the return section.
#5-Ask away.